Tag Archives: Healthy Household

Healthy Household: Remedies for Stress, Depression and Grief

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Here are two home remedies for stress, depression and grief. Rhodiola is an adaptogen which helps manage stress and exhaustion common to the grieving process.

Stress, depression and grief are difficult topics to talk about. Most of us suffering from one or all of these states are too exhausted to talk. Here are some home remedies to help manage and overcome these difficult emotions.

Stress, anxiety and grief in children should be treated with a light touch. I use a few drops of Rescue Remedy rubbed into the outer area of the child’s ear for anxiety. (This remedy can also be used on pets too.) A warm cup of Chamomile Tea with some local honey and a heart to heart talk will usually help an anxious child regain their mental balance. Fortunately, most anxiety in children is very short lived. If only adults could learn from a child’s ability to let go of grief.

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Use a light hand when treating a child with anxiety.

If you are on the Specific Carbohydrate Diet these home remedies will be safer than commercial nutraceutical which can have troublesome additives. Unfortunately, no plant is safe for everyone. As a general rule, the leaf, flower and bark of plants are normally safe but roots and fruits with seeds can cause reactions. Always test a new plant to see if you tolerate the plant. Wait at least 72 hours for reactions before assuming a plant is safe. If you react, don’t use the plant. Note the Family name of the plant. You may also have problems with other plants from the same Family. Some people have a mild reaction to a herb and can rotate through a number of herbs to avoid negative outcomes.

Stress Buster Tea
1 part organic Rhodiola Root (Rhodiola rosea), ground
1 part organic Ginkgo Leaf (Ginkgo biloba), ground

When a cup of Chamomile Tea just won’t do the trick, try Stress Buster Tea. Rhodiola is an adaptogen which helps support a stable mood and can moderate mild to moderate depression while helping with fatigue. Ginkgo helps to improve thinking, memory and helps with depression.

In a Vitamix machine or spice grinder, grind an equal amount of Rhodiola root and Ginkgo leaf into a very fine powder. Label and store in a glass jar. To make the tea, add 1tsp of the mixture to 2 cups of boiled water. Cover and let the tea steep for 10 minutes before consuming. Consume the solids at the bottom of the cup for the best result.

Rhodiola Root Extract
1 part organic Rhodiola Root (Rhodiola rosea), dried
4 parts organic Vodka

All plant extracts are made this same way. Use a small pint-sized glass canning jar with a plastic lid. Put the Rhodiola root into the jar. Add the alcohol of choice and fill the jar. Label the jar with the name of the plant, percentage of alcohol, today’s day, and the decanting day. Decanting day will be in six weeks or longer. The jar will need to be turned over every day for at least the first week. On decanting day, use a cotton cloth or metal sieve to squeeze out all the liquid from the roots. Store the extract in a dark glass bottle. If available, use a dropper top for easy dispersal.

To make tea from extract, just pour some hot water into a cup and add about 1/2tsp of extract once or twice a day as needed. If you don’t have any hot water, take the extract sublingually. Hold the extract in your mouth for a minute before swallowing.

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Holy Moly Tea is very easy to make. You will be making it for distressed friends.

Holy Moly Tea
1 part organic Holy Basil leaf (Ocimum tenuiflorum)
1 part organic Lemon Balm leaf (Melissa officinalis)
1 part organic Passionflower leaf (Passiflora incarnata)

Holy Moly Tea is for those very stressful days. You know the days I mean. Holy Basil is an adaptogen which helps with managing stress. Lemon Balm is a mild sedative with a pleasant taste. Passionflower helps with anxiety and insomnia caused by repetitive, circular thinking. My mother has diabetes and I often need to buy some medications. I keep researching on different websites where medications are available online. I’m looking not only for high quality drug but also affordable price . https://northcentralhealthdistrict.org/pharmacy/ offers the great system of discounts and I appreciate it very much.

Mix an equal amount of Holy Basil, Lemon Balm and Passion Flower. Label and store in a glass jar. To make the tea, add 1-2T of the mixture to 1L of boiled water. Cover and let the tea steep for at least 30 minutes before consuming. The tea tastes better the longer it steeps. Using a tea cozy or thermos will help keep the tea warm.

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Five Taste Iced Tea is a nice de-stressor at the end of the day.

Five Taste Iced Tea
1-2T organic Schisandra berries (Schisandra chinensis)
1L boiling water
Schisandra is an adaptogen with a long history of use in Chinese medicine. It is said that Schisandra can ?calm the heart and quiet the spirit?.

Put the Schisandra berries into a 1L mason jar and fill with boiling water. Cover and let infuse for 12 hours. Serve over ice for a refreshing, stress busting afternoon drink. Eat the soaked berries for the best result.

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This is Reishi fungus slices and dried ginger root. Reishi is an adaptogen with a long history of use in Chinese Medicine, where it is consider a “cure all”.

Reishi Tea
1L filtered water, simmered
10 wildcrafted Reisha fungus (Ganoderma lucidum), slices
1T organic ginger root (Zingiber officinale) (optional)

Reisha is an adaptogen with a long history of use in Chinese Medicine. Most people find Reishi has a nasty taste, but the nasty taste seems to wear-off after drinking the tea for a while. Simmer the Reishi slices in water for 20 minutes before consuming. Try the Reishi tea before adding the ginger. If you can’t stomach the taste of the Reishi tea add the ginger root and simmer for another 10 minutes before consuming.

If you would like to learn more about the human stress response please see this lecture by Nora Gedgaudas.

For more recipes please see Healthy Household: Staying Clean Safely and Saving Money.

Updated April 21, 2014: My husband came up with a wonderful new adaptogen drink — Reishi Iced Tea. Pour about one cup of cooled Reishi and ginger root tea over a glass full of ice. Squeeze the juice from 1/4 of a organic lime, and enjoy!

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Reishi Iced Tea is a revitalizing drink after a spring day working in the garden.

Healthy Household: Homemade Medical Kits

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medical-kit

Here is my family’s personal Medical Kit. What you include will depend on the health conditions in your family. Not seen here is ionic silver, a new addition to our medical kit.

Homemade Medical Kits are very personal. Everyone’s medical needs are different. What you need to bring along depends on the health conditions in your family. When personalizing your own medical kit, don’t blindly follow a list. Only include remedies and materials that you understand how to use and that work for your family at home.

I developed this medical kit after spending some time learning about herbal remedies and homeopathy. I have made a number of remedies such as: herbal extracts, bug spray, lozenges and salves. You can find many helpful recipes here: Staying Clean Safely and Saving Money. Again, experiment at home with remedies before adding a new item to your medical kit.

I have five essential oils that I have purchased and put into travel sized bottles. Some items I have purchased. I also bring along band-aids and standard over-the-counter pain medication. All the items fit into a black padded bag that comes with my family wherever we go.

Homemade Remedies
Angelica Extract
Echinacea Extract
Flora Bitter Extract
Ginger Extract
Licorice Extract
Yarrow Extract
Valerian Extract
Organic Tea Tree Oil
Organic Cloves Oil
Organic Lavender Oil
Organic Sage Oil
Organic Eucalyptus Oil
Erika’s Rosemary Salve
Licorice Lozenges
Yarrow Bug Spray

Herbal Remedies
Mountain Rose Herbs Chamomile Hydrosol
Mountain Rose Herbs Wormwood Extract
Gaia Garden Herbals White Willow Bark Extract
Gaia Garden Herbals Meadowsweet Extract
Aromaforce Oregano Oil
Bach Rescue Remedy
Traumeel Homepathic Preparation
Traumeel Cream
Homeocan Calendula Cream
Helios Basic 36 Remedies
Sovereign Ionic Silver

Standard
Cloth band-aids, assorted sizes
Antiseptic towelettes
Telfa pads, assorted sizes
Tape
Q-tips
Paper bag
Advil
Small Sewing Kit: needles, thread, etc

Healthy Household: Cheap White Smile

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Here is how to mix up Cheap White Smile. I have two tiny strawberries, an equal amount of baking soda, and a pinch of sea salt. The amounts don't have to be exact.

1 small organic strawberry, fresh or frozen
baking soda, same amount as size of strawberry
pinch of sea salt

Grind the strawberry, baking soda and sea salt together. It will fizz up if the strawberry is fresh. You can use this paste in two ways. Rub it on your teeth and let it sit for 15 minutes. Or brush your teeth with a small amount of the paste. Spit the paste out and start again. Do a long brushing for about 10 minutes using up all the paste. Your toothbrush will be a mess afterwards and will need a cleaning. This recipe will clean off stains too. You will have a bright clean smile, naturally. You will also keep your money in your pocket rather than enrich the cosmetics industry.

I do not know the long term safety of this recipe. It would be best to only whiten your teeth a few times a year. I am sure this recipe is safer than commercial teeth whitening products.

For more recipes please see Healthy Household: Staying Clean Safely and Saving Money.

Healthy Clothing: Guidelines and Suppliers

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Over the last year I have been doing some research and musing about the safety of our modern clothing. Healthy clothing seems like a small problem compared to the poor diet of the average North American eating out of the Industrial Food System. Vardenafil leads to more significant results compared to placebo in men who turned out resistant to the therapy with Sildenafil. The aim of the study was to determine the effectiveness of Levitra (Vardenafil) in patients, previously unresponsive to the treatment with Sildenafil. The criteria for inclusion of the patient in the study were the failure of 4 out of 6 attempts of sexual intercourse on the background of admission of Sildenafil or the failure of attempts at sexual intercourse when using Sildenafil in the maximum permissible dose (100 mg) at least once. But our clothing, like cosmetics, are in direct contact with our skin and could cause health problems in sensitive people. Here is a summary of my research:

  1. For the best bang for your buck, put your money in high quality local food from a source you can trust. Grow some of your own food, if possible. For more information please read 25 Steps to Eating Nourishing Traditional Foods. (Eating high quality food will help maintain healthy gut flora which is your first line of defense from environmental contamination. Please read What is a Healthy Gut?)
  2. Take a long hard look at the quality and safety of your personal care products. Stop using dangerous products and make charges towards healthier products. Consider making your own personal care products. Please read Healthy Household for recipes and suggestions. (Your skin is a lot more permeable than once thought. If you wouldn’t consider eating the product, don’t put it on your skin.)
  3. Take a look at your clothing and decide if the material is safe. Over time, switch over to sustainable, naturally produced materials like leather, fur, wool, cotton, linen, hemp and silk. If you care equally about your health and the environment, look for organically produced fabrics. This is an over simplification, but in general if something is healthy for you it will be healthy for the environment. Killer Clothes by Anna Maria Clement can help with understanding the risks involved with our clothing. (If you are healthy, your clothing choices are less important for your overall health than your food choices. If you are dealing with chronic health problems or Multiple Chemical Sensitivity, look for organic fabrics without dyes.)
  4. We spend a very large amount of our time indoors. Look carefully at your household environment. Assess the safety of air and water quality. If you have dangerous items in your home, remove them. Home Safe Home by Debra Lynn Dadd has a daunting amount of information about how to make your household safer. She suffers from MCS and maintains a website with helpful tips for a safer home. (In my personal experience, focus your attention on your body’s “internal environment”, and your “external environment” will be less of a problem.)
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Shaen has been skiing this winter in wool. Yes, he looks odd on the hill. He wears merino wool underwear as a bottom layer. His middle layer varies from an organic cotton shirt for hot days to a Guernsey wool sweater for the cold days. His outer layer is a Swanndri and felt army pants. He finds the wool breathes much better then a Gore-Tex shell. Wool felt is water-repellent and stays warm even if wet.

Here are some guidelines for buying clothing that will be safe and long lasting:

  1. Buy clothing for natural materials such as leather, sheepskin, fur, wool, linen, hemp, cotton, and silk.
  2. Buy organic fabric when appropriate. Be curious about manufacturing processes, finishing on fabrics, and types of dyes.
  3. Buy clothing designed for long-term wear.
  4. Buy clothing that can adjust in size for weight gain or loss.
  5. Buy clothing designed for function not style.

I asked a number of chapter leaders with the Weston A Price Foundation where they get their healthy clothing. Here are some sources of fabrics and ready made clothing. Few companies specialize in only natural fibers. Watch for products made from organic fabrics, 100% natural fibers, and environmentally friendly dyes. Most of these manufactures produce only highly tailored clothing. This is just a few of the many online companies providing healthier alternative in clothing. If I have missed your favorite company, please contact me:

Organic Cotton, Linen and Hemp

  1. Mountain Equipment Coop is committed to fair labor practices. They specialize in outdoor sporting wear so the clothing is well-made and heavily tailored. They have a line of 100% organic cotton shirts and pants for men, women, youth and infants. They have a line of 100% Merino wool underwear for men and women. They sometimes carry organic cotton and hemp pants.
  2. Rawganique is a clothing retailer working from Denman Island, BC and “offers sustainable products that are pure and sweatshop-free.” They have blends of 100% organic cotton, hemp and linen clothing. They have classic designs of clothing such as Renaissance Blouse, Hill Tribe Shirt, or Mindful Shirt. They have designs that can adjust for changes in body size such as the Thai Fisherman’s Pants.
  3. The Organic Cotton Company works out of Toronto, ON. “The Organic Cotton Company oversees every step of the processing of our organic pima cotton from raw fiber to spinning to knitting to cutting and sewing. We can assure our customers that Clean Undies are truly the cleanest cotton underwear available, never treated or contaminated with chemicals.” They produce 100% organic pima cotton underwear and shirts for men, women and children.
  4. Decent Exposures is a custom made bra and underwear company working from Seattle, WA. They have a line of 100% organic cotton bras and underwear.
  5. Girl Skirt Mission has an organic cotton shop with Kurta Shirts and Yoga Pants.
  6. Hemp Traders is a wholesaler for 100% hemp fabrics, webbing, yarn and cording. They have a line of 100% organic cotton and hemp shirts for men and women.

Wool

  1. Wool Overs is a company that specializes in 100% “wool, cotton and cashmere knitwear.” This company produces my husband’s favorite sweater, a Guernsey Jumper, he has worn for years.
  2. Custom Woolen Mills working from Carstairs, AB. You can send your raw wool to the mill for processing. Their products include: “carded wools, rovings, spinning rolls, batts, wool yarns, knitting kits, socks, comforters, mattress pads and hand-woven blankets.”
  3. Swanndri is a New Zealand company that produces 100% waterproof felted wool jackets that can last for years. My husband had years of use from he Swanndri bush shirt.
  4. My Merino is a company working from Rocky View, AB and specializes in 100% New Zealand Merino wool. They have underwear, hats and gloves for men, women and children.

If you would like to learn more about healthy clothing, please read these articles recommended by Bari Caine, the Weston A Price Foundation chapter leader for Reno, NV:
Working Conditions in Textile Factories
Cost of Organic Cotton
Deals on Organic Clothing

If you would like further information:
Healthy Clothing: Do you know what’s on your clothes?
Healthy Clothing: Can we have sustainable fashion?

Updated October 5, 2011: I have received a link to a video about Rebecca Burgess, who has put together a 150 mile local fiber wardrobe made with bio-regional dyes. Here is the link to 150 Mile Wardrobe: Local Fiber, Real Color and Gandhian Economics. If you would like to learn more about her 150 mile wardrobe please see her website. I hope this video inspires our local Kamloops Artisans.

Healthy Clothing: Do you know what’s in your clothes?

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About a year ago, I started wondering about my long term use of nylon, fleece and other synthetic materials from Mountain Equipment Coop. I started wondering if these petrochemical-based fabrics were safe for use next to my skin and for that matter if the products were environmentally safe. Ironically, MEC is all about enjoying and saving the environment. Unfortunately, their fabric choices might be convenient for a sweaty hiker but the fabrics are made from materials that are not sustainable nor environmentally friendly. Many of these synthetic fabrics are partly recycled but the question I keep asking myself is should we be making the products in the first place and how safe are the fabrics for the wearer or the greater environment? On the positive side, MEC cares about the working conditions in the factories that produce their products. MEC sells very inexpensive 100% organic cotton shirts, 100% Merino wool underwear, and some hemp blend products.

I started wondering about my personal clothing choices and what I would have to do to be more sustainable. I realized that leather, sheepskin and fur are very sustainable products and have a very long wearing life. For example, a leather or sheepskin jacket could last a lifetime. In my vegetarian days, I would have been horrified by such an observation. I guess many people feel the same way. On my Visit to the Killing Floor at Kam Lake View Meats, I learned that hides, once a valuable byproduct of the slaughtering process, are now almost a waste product. The inspector said: ?we are close to the day when the customer will have to pay extra to dispose of the hide.? The kill floor manager said: ?when I started twenty years ago, the hides were worth $50.00 each. Now they get $5.00 a hide.? This situation seems wrong to me. As a show of respect for the life given for our food we should be using every part of the animal possible. There are problems with modern leather products. Most modern tanning methods use toxic chemicals but this does not have to be the case. Leather can be produced using traditional brain tanning methods which does not negatively affect the environment. If there were enough people that cared about how a hide was tanned, we could have a resurgence of artisan tanning using traditional methods.

Wool is another wonderful material that doesn’t require the death of an animal and is completely sustainable. All you need is the sheep on pasture and the wool continues to grow year after year. Wool can be used for years, and some thick wools will have the same longevity as leather, sheepskin or fur. Again, we are seeing the loss of another traditional home industry. At one time, many sheep farms would have had a method of taking the raw wool from the sheep to a finished product. Now, this wasn’t an easy task. Women spent the winter months working at cleaning, carting, spinning, weaving and knitting. They would make many of the clothes and blankets used by the whole family. Now wool is a waste product. It isn’t even worth the cost to send it to Custom Woolen Mills located in Alberta. I talked with Susan McGillivray from Jocko Creek Ranch about her sheep’s wool. She sends enough wool to the mill for her family’s needs but the rest of the wool gets composted. Here is another missed opportunity for a revival in artisan wool production. If enough people valued high quality wool and were willing to pay for handmade knitting and weaving we could have a local cultural Renaissance.

Cotton, linen, and hemp are beautiful materials and true products of the Industrial Revolution. There may have been cottage industry of these products long ago, but few people would have the production knowledge now. Cotton’s major problem is the amount of fungicides, herbicides and pesticides used to produce the crop. Going organic with your cotton clothing would really help the environment. Linen comes from flax straw, a “waste product” of flax seed and flax oil production. Linen does not require as many chemicals for production as cotton. Hemp is a very hardy plant with its own natural pesticide. Hemp is a very strong and versatile fiber and can be used in building materials, fabrics, and rope. The official story is hemp is hard to get because the material got caught up in a silly confusion during the 1930’s drug prohibition. Some people believe this official story is a fiction to hide the true reason which is to protect the synthetic fabric industry. If we lived in a sane world we would all be wearing hemp or linen. If we bought hemp clothes we could be wearing the same clothes for a decade. We would have to give up making a fashion statement and design styles of clothing that can adjust for weight loss or gain. If we are going to continue using cotton we should use organic cotton.

killer-clothes

This is an interesting book about clothing. It will make you look and what you wear in a new way.

I just finished reading Killer Clothes: How Seemingly Innocent Clothing Choices Endanger Your Health …And How To Protect Yourself by Anna Maria Clement. I was previously unaware of the chemical contamination prevalent in clothes manufacturing. Manufacturers are now putting some very scary chemicals on your clothes. (The way to protect yourself against these chemicals is to know your producers and make it your business to understand their manufacturing processes. Sorry, no easy answers on this website.) Manufacturers are not required to list the chemicals used on the clothing’s label. These chemicals are used to make the fabric flame, stain, shrink, static, wrinkle, bacterial, microbial, and odor resistant. For example, formaldehyde is commonly used in fabrics to resist wrinkling and shrinkage. Ugh. The author is concerned that we are all “guinea pigs” in a vast experiment without our conscious consent. She is concerned that our clothes are adding to a “total toxic load” in our bodies which can led to illness in the short or long-term. She is concerned that many of these chemicals “are persistent in the environment and bio-accumulative in humans and wildlife.” She is especially worried about what this will mean for the health of our children and grandchildren.

Finally, when we are done with our natural clothing, they can be recycled as rags or made into paper. The rags, when worn, will return to the soil which in turn will service another generation of people. I cannot say that about my petrochemical-based nylon, fleece, or polyester.